SAGINAW, MI — The Saginaw Spirit got a glimpse of their future over the weekend and it appears to be bright.

Saginaw hosted prospects and recent draft selections at Saginaw Bay Ice Arena on Saturday, April 27 and Sunday, April 28 for its annual Spirit Development Camp where players competed in a pair of scrimmages under the watchful eye of Spirit personnel.

“In general, we’re pretty happy with most of the kids,” Saginaw General Manager Jim Paliafito said. “There’s really no one who disappointed. Kids we picked in the 10th and 11th round played really well. We’re very pleased.”

First round selection Mitchell Stephens suited up for the white team, wearing No. 7 and showed off the speed and offensive skill that made him the No. 8 overall pick in the 2013 OHL Priority Selection.

He was the strongest skater on the ice and generated several scoring opportunities for both himself and teammates.

“I’ve waited my whole life for this, all the way back to novice,” Stephens said. “I’ve wanted to play in the OHL, and playing for the Saginaw Spirit is a great honor.”

“I thought Stephens was really good,” Paliafito said. “(David) Ovsjannikov, the goalie, was outstanding. Connor Graham, who we drafted last year was really good. Chris Bennet from last year’s draft was good. (Ryan) Orban, I thought, was the best defensean.”

Orban and Michael Holmes were both second round picks by the Spirit in this year’s draft and at 6-foot-2, both are expected to help on the defensive end.

“Orban will be able to come in and play,” Paliafito said. “He’s 6-foot-2, 219 pounds, strong, a good skater and very smart. Holmes was strong. They’re big kids, and they’ll have an opportunity.”

With Jake Paterson and Nikita Serebryakov returning for Saginaw, Ovsjannikov, 6-foot-3, 175 pounds, is expected to spend at least one more season developing at a lower league before making a play for time with the Spirit.

“We’re kind of limited in the guys we can bring in, because we’ve had so many young guys the last two years,” Saginaw coach Greg Gilbert said. “It’s going to be good competition to see who wants to dig down and get in there.”